one peril - not cholesterol,
not obesity, not lack of exercise,
although they are important con-
tributory factors - but job dis-
satisfaction. Specifically, lack of
purpose or meaning in life.
ments a) lack of purpose or meaning in
life and b) a self rating of happiness.
and you looked at them as if they had two
heads and then they asked you how happy
you'd rate yourself and you answered `not
very' - get medical insurance fast!
people for centuries but it seems to have es-
caped recognition - let alone consideration -
by the bulk of our population. Perhaps we
should discuss this at schools?
answered `happiness and usefulness'.
your life. It doesn't matter what it is, as long
as it's important to you. Mine is helping oth-
ers heal and grow; to provide them with in-
formation in simple format that they may not
otherwise have access to; this gives people
more choices over what happens to them; I
also want happiness and to bring joy to oth-
ers and to learn and keep learning all my life.
I sound like a goodie two shoes! Still, that's
what I believe I'm here for.
guide you along the path you choose. Your
purpose may change as you steer your course
and that's OK! The rudder just moves to a
new position and you take up a new course.
long as it means a lot to you.
ing your part as an integral team member? Or
just pride in what you do no matter how trivial
it may seem. Be the best `whatever' you can
be. Before you discard a job, make sure you
have tried to redesign the job - or discussed
changes with people who could make the
changes - to give you satisfaction.
to make your work a rich source of satisfac-
tion and meaning. Where is your focus as you
look for this sense of purpose? What do you
say to yourself about your job and the work
you do? Do you recognise it as worthwhile?
Or do you belittle your contribution?
desire to do and be more; your job may be en-
larged to give you more responsibility and au-
thority. If you don't want more, that's great.
If you are satisfied and happy with what you
do, 9.00am Monday morning is something to
look forward to!
takes fantastic pride in seeing a clean, spar-
kling result from what started as a mess!
Perhaps you could turn your attention to the
community? Do volunteer work; cheer up
some lonely old people; bring joy to orphans;
or just make biscuits for a disabled neigh-
bour. Research shows that by helping other
people we boost the strength of our immune
systems and therefore resist disease more ef-
fectively - a bonus!
know you are on track.
Toddlers have fantastic senses of purpose
in their lives - learn, laugh, play and have
fun! Grown ups lose this wonderful attitude.
Teenagers just get in their own way - if they
had a bigger picture, a greater sense of pur-
pose than just surviving the next few years
without embarrassment, they may enjoy those
precious years more.
you find help or support? Even then maybe
your purpose is survival without scarring. The
classic example of a purpose in life sustaining
humans through extreme atrocities is in Vic-
tor Frankel's book, Man's Search For Mean-
ing. This man survived years in POW camps
by focusing on helping others cope and by
driven by a desire to see his family again and
to play the piano again. Even under the most
difficult conditions a clear purpose for that
part of your life can keep you well - or alive
when others are dying.
row the Dalai Lama's philosophy - happiness
and usefulness - until your own becomes
clear. Be useful, help others and find joy!
who creates experiences in which people
change attitudes, behaviours and results.
Author of The Gospel of Joy, she has just
returned from 8 years living and work-
ing in the USA. www.amandagore.com;
www.thegospelofjoy.com